


Angels and Demons

by fangirlfiction



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Not A Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-10 02:03:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18929083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlfiction/pseuds/fangirlfiction
Summary: A promise is a promise.





	Angels and Demons

**Author's Note:**

> This contains ENDGAME SPOILERS! Let me know what you think :)

You wake with a gasp, chest heaving, skin sticky with sweat, panic weighing on you heavily.

You sit up quickly, hand pressed to your pounding heart, your breath rushing past your lips in quick bursts. A warm arm snakes around your waist and pulls you backwards, closer to him. Your head hits the pillow and you turn to face him as he whispers, “It’s okay, I’m here.”

Your eyes meet his blue ones, and the lights from the street filter through the curtains and catch the blonde of his hair. You feel your stomach twist before you jump from the bed and run to the bathroom, seconds before emptying the contents of your stomach into the toilet. 

-

_ It always ends the same. Your family on the ground around you, rivers of blood running across the floor towards you. You look down at your hands, to the knife you’re gripping tightly, the same red staining the handle. The knife clatters to the ground, the sound too loud in your head, and you wake with a scream. _

_ You are up and out of the bed in seconds. Panic courses through you, making you feel sick, and you stand near the bed trying to catch your breath. The bed shifts beside you and he whispers your name quietly, cautiously. Your eyes meet his blue, his dark hair a curtain around his face. The look he gives you is one your mom always gave you when you came home covered in bruises; worried and sad. The thought sends you spiraling again and you run from the room, down the hall and up the stairs, until you reach the roof.  _

_ You walk in tight circles, hands tangled in your hair, tears spilling down your cheeks. You see them, their faces, haunting you. Bucky jogs through the door a moment later, fear written on his face, and you run towards him. His arms wrap around you tightly as you sob into his chest, and he whispers, “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here, I’ve got you.” _

-

The hut sits in the distance, the only one in sight. 

Gardens line the pathway on both sides, and stretch as far as your eyes can see. Thanos’ armor serves as a scarecrow to keep the birds away. 

Steve walks ahead of you, and Nat walks on your left. Plants brush your legs as you walk by, barely felt through the fabric of your pants. Steve walks up the stairs first, followed by you and Nat. Thanos is in the corner of the room, groaning, held back by Carol, Rhodey, and Bruce. Thor stands near Rocket, the gauntlet at their feet. Rocket turns the gauntlet over, and you feel your heart squeeze in panic. 

You look at Steve, the same panicked look in his eye. He sets his jaw and turns to face Thanos. 

“Where are they?”

Thanos is silent and Carol tightens her grip around his neck. “Answer the question.”

“The Universe required correction. After that, the Stones served no purpose beyond temptation.”

Bruce lunges towards Thanos, and pushes him, sending him flying to the ground. “You murdered trillions!”

Thanos spits out, “You should feel grateful.” 

Your stomach twists painfully, and you fight to keep your composure. Nat’s voice shakes slightly as she asks, “Where are the Stones?”

“Gone. Reduced to atoms.” His voice lacks any sound of remorse, and you fight back tears. 

“You used them two days ago!”

“I used the Stones do destroy the Stones.” Thanos pauses, and his voice wavers. “It nearly...killed me. But the work is done. It always will be.”  He leans forward slightly and breaths out, “I am...inevitable.”

You feel your composure start to slip as you turn and run from the hut, boots thudding on the wood as you fly down the stairs and out into the gardens. Choked sobs escape past your lips, as hot tears spill down your cheeks. You hear a commotion inside but ignore it, trying to focus on the pace of your breathing. You reach up to your neck and touch the ring that hangs from the chain there, gold band with a small aquamarine stone. 

You hear boots crunching on the ground behind you and you turn and find Steve standing there. He nods once and you step into his arms, crying softly into his chest. 

-

_ You sit outside the hut, looking at the land around you, no one in sight as far as your eyes can see. You take a deep breath in and let it push past your lips slowly, releasing the last bits of tension inside you. You hear soft footsteps approaching from behind you, and you turn to look over your shoulder, smiling when you see him. The smile he gives you in return is bright, worry free.  _

_ He plops down beside you, legs crossed, before handing you a cup of coffee, made just the way you like it. You smile in thanks and pull your knees up to your chest before sipping on the warm coffee. You both sit in quiet silence for a while, before Bucky eventually breaks it. “I always wanted this, you know.” _

_ You turn and look at him with a questioning gaze, but say nothing. He gestures at the land and the hut behind him, “A place of my own. Quiet.” He looks at you, “Someone to share it with.” _

_ You smile and look down at your coffee. “It’s been nice being here with you. Ignoring everything that’s happening beyond Wakanda’s border.” You sigh, “Won’t last forever though.” _

_ Bucky shrugs, “Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get back to this one day. After everything is said and done.” _

_ He shifts beside you, and you turn to look at him. He takes your coffee from your hands and sets it on the ground between you, before taking your hand and placing something on your palm. You look down and see a small ring sitting there, with an aquamarine stone set into a gold band. You pick it up and look at him with a grin, “What’s this?” _

_ “A promise.” He takes it from you and slides it onto your left finger. “A promise that whatever happens next, we’ll face it together. That I’ll always keep you safe. A promise to live a life together, quiet, like this, because we’ve fought long enough.” _

_ You lean forward with a happy laugh and pull him in for a kiss. You lean back and smile as you whisper, “I promise, too.” _

-

You stand in your shared room at the Compound, arms crossed and jaw set, glaring at the back of Steve’s head. “No. I’m not going.”

He turns away from the closet, pulling on a flannel, glancing at you briefly. He sighs your name. “It’ll help. I promise.”

You flinch as if you’ve been slapped, and Steve notices your silence. He looks up and sees your expression, his face softening. “You don’t have to speak. You can just listen.”

“Listen to a bunch of average nobodies talk about ‘their loss’? No thanks.”

His expression hardens, and you can sense the start of a lecture. “Hey, that’s not-”

“No, Steve, I don’t care! I don’t care what they have to say! They were probably sitting at their desks in their mundane office job, typing away when it happened. They didn’t watch the love of their life turn to ash right next to them! They don’t know what it’s  _ really _ like to lose, because They.  Weren’t. There.”

Steve sobers up instantly, his voice dropping to a controlled whisper. “But I was. I was there. I loved him too, you know. And you can’t walk around acting like you’re the only one who lost someone. We all have.”

He glances down at his watch, and grabs his wallet and keys before turning to walk to the door. He stops, hand on the knob. “I know he was the love of your life, but...he’s gone. I’m here. I’m here, and I’m trying to be what you need.”

He pulls open the door and walks out, pulling the door closed behind him. As soon as you hear it click, you drop to your knees, silently sobbing for them both.

-

_ You and Bucky sit side by side on the bed, silent, his new arm occasionally brushing against yours.  _

_ You let out a shaky breath. “I knew it wouldn’t last forever.” _

_ “Hey,” he threads his fingers through yours and tugs your hand up, bringing the ring into view. “I made you a promise. I’m gonna keep it.” _

_ Your voice comes out in a whisper, “But what if you can’t?” You look up at him and lock eyes, “Bucky, I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t lose  _ **_you_ ** _.” _

_ He shakes his head, “You won’t. This is it, okay? One last fight and it will all be over.” _

_ “Promise?” _

_ “I promise.” _

-

You pull the final piece of the suit on, securing it on the sides, before looking up at yourself in the mirror. In the corner you see Steve appear, walking closer to you. You exchange small smiles before he steps up behind you and wraps his hands around your waist. You watch him in the mirror as he asks, “You ready?”

You nod. 

“Are you nervous?”

You nod. 

He spins you in his arms so that you’re facing him, before he pushes hair from your face and rests his hands on your cheeks.  “Don’t be. This is going to work. One last shot and then it’ll be over. He’ll be back.”

“And what about us?”

He smiles, “We’ll figure it out.”

-

_ You blink your eyes open against the bright sun, before it’s eclipsed by the arrival of Bucky. He reaches out and pulls you to your feet, wiping away the blood that’s dripping from your nose. You both walk from the brush and into the clearing, before stopping a few feet behind Steve. His hand is clutching his side, eyes locked on Thor, voice bewildered. “Where did he go?” _

_ He looks around and you exchange a confused look with Bucky. “Thor, where’d he go?” _

_ Bucky shifts beside you, drawing your attention to him. You look over at him, and his eyes lock with yours, full of fear. He reaches out for you, and you both look at the arm stretched between you, as it starts to turn to dust. You look back up at Bucky, scared, and he whispers, “I promise.” _

_ Your voice cracks, confused as you question, “Bucky?”  _

_ You see Steve turn as he hears your voice, both of you watching as Bucky’s entire body turns to dust, gun clattering to the ground loudly. You look at Steve and back to where Bucky was standing, dropping to your knees and muttering, “No, no, no, no! Bucky? Bucky, you promised!” _

_ Steve comes closer to you and drops down beside you, pressing his hand into the ash at your feet.  _

-

You stand near Steve on the battlefield, shocked, as people continue to emerge from the bright gold portals. Your eyes scan every face quickly, looking for one in particular.  

Your heart stops when you finally see him. 

He steps from the portal, the light shining brightly behind him, casting an angelic glow. You watch him scan the crowd for you, finding you quickly, and you both run to each other wearing matching smiles. He catches you easily and spins you around before setting you back down and pulling you into a hug. You stand taller and kiss him, tears sparkling in both of your eyes. He leans back with a smile and whispers, “A promise is a promise.”

-

Steve and Sam shake hands before Steve walks closer to you and Bucky. 

You don’t miss the look on Bucky’s face as Steve stops in front of you both. He smiles at Bucky and jokes, “Don’t do anything stupid until I get back.”

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.”

They both hug before pulling away, and Bucky steps back, giving you and Steve space. You turn to look at him with skepticism, and he nods for you to go ahead. You turn back to Steve, who’s giving you a small smile. “I told you he’d be back.”

You nod and smile, unsure what to say. He holds open his arms for a hug, and you step forward, wrapping your arms around his waist. He whispers into your hair, “I hope I was what you needed.”

You pull back, tears in your eyes, still confused. Your voice cracks when you reply, “You were.”

He steps back and moves onto the Quantum Tunnel, and Bucky moves up beside you and wraps his arm around you. You look up and smile at him and he kisses your forehead and smiles in return. 

Sam turns to Bruce, “How long is this going to take?”

“For him? As long as he needs. For us, five seconds.” Steve picks up Mjolnir and Bruce looks up from the controls. “You ready, Cap?”

Steve turns and gives him and nod and Bruce starts flipping switches. “Alright, we’ll meet you back here, okay?”

“You bet.”

“Going quantum in 3...2...1…”

You all watch Steve shrink until you can’t see him anymore, and Bruce immediately announces, “And returning in 5...4...3...2...1…”

Bruce flips the switch to bring him back, and your stomach drops when nothing happens. 

“Where is he?”

Bruce pours over the controls, confused. “I don’t know, he blew right past his time stamp. He should be here.”

You look to Bucky, worried, only to find him looking unsurprised. You whisper, “Bucky, what do you know?”

He turns to walk away, pulling you with him, and you repeat, “Bucky, what’s going on?”

He starts to reply but freezes in his tracks, and you stop to follow his gaze. On a bench near the lake sits a hunched over figure. You start to move towards it, but Bucky grabs your hand and glances to Sam. You nod, and Bucky states, “Sam.”

Sam comes to stand beside you both and you all exchange a look. Bucky whispers, “Go ahead.”

Sam goes to stand beside Steve, and you turn to Bucky with confusion. “Did you know?”

He shakes his head, “No, but I suspected.”

“Was it her? Peggy?”

Bucky looks down at you, and tucks some hair behind your ear. “I think so.”

You nod, just as Sam comes to stand beside you again, shield in hand. He whispers your name, “He asked for you.”

You look up at Bucky again and he gives you a bright smile and a nod, before nudging you towards the bench. You don’t look at Steve as you sit down beside him, hands placed in your lap. Steve reaches over and grabs your hand, the feel of his wedding band cool against your finger. “What happened to figuring it out?”

His voice shakes slightly when he responds, “This was me figuring it out.”

You look over at him now, hurt written on your face. He wipes away the tears that run down your cheeks. “He’s the love of your life. She was mine.”


End file.
